WRITING CHEMICAL RESEARCH PAPERS THE INTRODUCTION

The Role of the Introduction Section Stimulate the reader’s interest Give relevant background information Allow editor and reviewers to assess the manuscript’s importance

What the Introduction Should Include General relevant background. A brief overview of previous research on the topic, with relevant citations. A summary of the problem to be solved. An exact but short explanation of what your paper attempts to do and also why and how this is done.

Journal Style Check the Introduction sections of papers in a recent copy of the targeted journal Observe the general style Is there the heading “Introduction”? Are concluding remarks included?

Writing an Effective Introduction: General Provide a concise background to the area of study and the problems that need to be solved. This should include a comprehensive set of citations (see next slide Define all abbreviations or specialized terms

Writing an Effective Introduction: General Do not give a full history of the topic, but introduce the reader to the relevant literature. Quote only previous work that has a direct bearing on the present problem   Give a concise discussion of the results and findings of previous studies  

Writing an Effective Introduction: Significance and Aims Indicate clearly the significance of your work: say why there was a need to conduct this line of study. State clearly the objective of the work: this is probably the most important part of the Introduction.

Writing an Effective Introduction: Hypothesis and Findings Give a clear statement of your hypothesis, including the variables investigated and a concise summary of the methods used. (Optional) Describe briefly the major findings presented in your manuscript and show how they contribute to the larger field of research.  

Writing an Effective Introduction: Hypothesis and Findings (Optional) State briefly the principal conclusions derived from your results. Identify briefly any limitations of your work, questions left unanswered or new questions arising from your study.

Example 1

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Example 4

Good grief! I’ve written the title, Abstract, Materials and Methods and Introduction. I can’t put off writing the Results and Discussion sections any longer! But I’ll have a sleep first.